Regency U43

[Dirge]

Greetings all. First timer here.

Please forgive my lack of knowledge. I have no prior experience with heating using a stove or fireplace. So I'm trying to catch on quickly. My current home is heated with electric. And we've had outages in the winter a few times which instigated my desire to find a back up source. Since we have natural gas run to our house, I decided to purchase a gas stove for our back up heat. I also have an unfinished basement that I will finish down the road, so this stove could heat this area as well.

I don't have enough money set aside at this point to purchase a brand new gas stove, so I have been keeping an eye out for used ones in good condition on Craigslist. A Regency U43 has just popped up on CL in new condition - never used. But it is set up for propane.

I've tried to research this model online to determine what I need to convert it to natural gas and also what I need to direct vent it through my wall to the outside. But since it is a discontinued model, information is scarce.

Here are my questions:

1. Can anyone confirm that the Regency U43 is a good stove?

2. What parts will I need to convert this stove from LP to NG and how difficult might it be to find them?

3. Can anyone confirm that this model is manufactured to be direct vented?

4. What type of pipe and what components do I need to direct vent through a wall to the outside?

5. What is the best way to load a stove into a truck, unload it and haul it into the house (without a towmotor)?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

 

[DAKSY]

Hate to be a real buzz-kill here, but I don't believe this unit CAN be converted. Regency sold them either dedicated for burning LP or NG, & according to the online manual,
there is no conversion kit. If you can contact your local Regency dealer, the parts technician there may be able to verify this info.
IIRC, it is a great heater, as are ALL the Regency gas models, but I wouldn't spend the $$$ if you can't convert the fuel supply.
If you can repost AFTER finding out if it can be done, we can tell you what else you will need for the install.

 

[Dirge]

Hate to be a real buzz-kill here, but I don't believe this unit CAN be converted. Regency sold them either dedicated for burning LP or NG, & according to the online manual,
there is no conversion kit. If you can contact your local Regency dealer, the parts technician there may be able to verify this info.
IIRC, it is a great heater, as are ALL the Regency gas models, but I wouldn't spend the $$$ if you can't convert the fuel supply.
If you can repost AFTER finding out if it can be done, we can tell you what else you will need for the install.

Thank you for responding Daksy. I emailed my local Regency dealer earlier this morning, but being Saturday, I don't expect a reply until after the weekend.

The person listing this stove specifically mentions that it is set up for propane but can be converted to natural gas. But I'm not hanging my hat on that. I'll certainly leave a post once I can verify either way.

The seller is only asking $500 for this stove, so I'm really hoping I can convert it to NG.

In the meantime, if it is not too much trouble, there are a few other used models for sale on Craigslist in my area that I'm considering. Could anyone tell me if the following models are good quality or I should stay away?

- Napoleon GDS50
- Napoleon GS3500
- Vermont Castings Radiance
- Enviro Ascot
- Quadrafire (model not stated, but it is a bay window style with 30k-40k input btu)

Thanks for the input all

 

[Dirge]

Both my local Regency dealer in PA, and the sellers Regency dealer in MD, have verified that the Regency U43 can be converted from LP to NG. There does not appear to be a kit, but the correct valve and orifice are obtainable.

Unfortunately, the Regency U43 is not built for direct venting. It is meant to be vented using a chimney. I do not have a chimney, so I'm out of luck. And I'm really kind of deflated about it because it was a great opportunity to buy a nice stove for a price I could afford.

Back to hunting around for a gas stove....

 

[stayinwarm]

Both my local Regency dealer in PA, and the sellers Regency dealer in MD, have verified that the Regency U43 can be converted from LP to NG. There does not appear to be a kit, but the correct valve and orifice are obtainable.

Unfortunately, the Regency U43 is not built for direct venting. It is meant to be vented using a chimney. I do not have a chimney, so I'm out of luck. And I'm really kind of deflated about it because it was a great opportunity to buy a nice stove for a price I could afford.

Back to hunting around for a gas stove....

Hi Dirge, I am looking at that same stove and B vent is what I prefer since I have an existing chimney. Do you have any of the info for the conversion of LP to NG for the U43-1? I have an Enviro U28 which is direct vent and I just ordered the LP to NG kit. If I can find out what is involved in converting the U43 (and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg) I would consider selling the U28 with NG kit. It also comes with some DV pipes.

 

[Dirge]

Hi stayinwarm,
I do not know the exact item numbers that are needed to convert the Regency U43 from LP to NG. The individual I was looking to buy this from told me that Courtland Hearth in Bel Air, MD said it can be converted with a Robert Shaw valve and NG orifice. My local Regency dealer confirmed it could be converted too. I did not pursue the exact parts numbers for the valve and orifice or their cost because it was a non-starter for me once I realized it was B-vent. If you contact Courtland Hearth or your local Regency dealer, I believe they can give you that information.

I appreciate your offer, however I have purchased a direct vent stove and I'm in the process of installing it now. So I'm no longer in the market.